Is There an Adventure Gene

My brother and I recently got reunited with one of our cousins.  We didn’t grow up together and we actually only saw him twice when he was under 10 years old.

When I got to talk with him last month, he was pretty curious about our dad - my adopted dad, but my brother’s biological dad.  He had heard stories of our dad as a rebellious adventurer always getting into trouble.  Those stories were not far off.  We have so many memories of some of his adventurous antics that drove our mother a little crazy and inspired us to mimic him.

We loved our adventure life.  We lived in rural southern Colorado. We were what people today call “free-range” children.  Out all day until after dark all summer long - fending for ourselves - staying just outside of trouble as we veered right up to its appealing boundaries - and sometimes past them.

Our cousin had no such partner in crime for his adventures.  He told me he felt like he felt pretty different from his two other brothers and  from his parents and their usually calm, safer sides.  They were not adventurers, but he was.  He was pretty sure he had inherited a gene somewhere in the family DNA that our dad had, but no one in his family but him possessed.

It started me thinking about what I write about in Chatper 3 of my new best-selling book Gritty Friendships.  My contention is that men become better and grittier friends when they have Gritty Experiences with each other.  I also contend that men are better men when they get to have adventures - especially outdoor adventures.  I even have a strong suspicion that the Industrial Revolution ruined men because it brought them inside to earn a living using only their hands on assembly lines, rather than using their hands and their ingenuity outdoors in hunting, crafting and trades.

Was my cousin right? Is there an adventure gene?  Is flirting with danger in our heredity?

The notion of an "adventure gene", especially in men is intriguing, conjuring images of a preordained desire for exploration and danger. And genetics shows that this is the case -at least a little bit. Scientists have identified a variant of the DRD4 gene, DRD4-7R, that influences dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and motivation. Individuals with this variant often exhibit increased curiosity and a restless streak, which could translate into a stronger inclination for adventure-seeking.

There are other factors that fertilize the allure of adventure-seeking like environment, culture, openness, risk tolerance, and even personality and family culture.

Whether it is in the genes or not, I really do think that men are better men when they have a good, steady diet of adventure in their lives.  My cousin might have felt out of place in his family and more in his place seeking adventure.  I know my brother and I did!

So adventure seeking may be in the genes, but I know it is definitely a part of Gritty Friendships.  We are better freinds when we have Gritty Experiences together.  So go get gritty with your friend.  Plan something fun, different and a little edgy. You’ll both be refreshed by it and you be better friends when you’re done.